2nd gen JBL amp/system replacement

Hey TW. I have hunted all over the place and have contacted Crutchfield a bit.

BUT

Want to see what the Taco fam has as well.

I have a long term audio upgrade plan going on. Currently I have upgraded all but the oem JBL amplifier and sub.

I have a KENWOOD DDX795 head unit with a meastro interface to integrate the system with JBL and just upgraded the speakers to coaxial JBL Clubs and tweeters.

Obviously that amp makes this transition not work as dreamed. The sound is so much better than those puny oem speakers by far at the least.

Goal now, as Crutchfield agreed too, is to run new speaker wires to a 4 channel amp for the speakers and leave the JBL amp for the sub.

Searched around and haven’t found anything on folks replacing the dastardly JBL amp and or what they replaced it with OR if hey replaced it with a 5/6 channel amp all together.

Curious if anyone has had any experience in doing this or what folks have done in replacing the OEM JBL system all together.

 

If you want to keep the JBL sub, you need:

-4ch amp and appropriate power/ground
-PAC APH-TY01 harness
-4ch RCA (although I would suggest getting a 6ch RCA because you’ll want to upgrade the sub eventually and it will save you tearing the truck back apart to run another cable)


The APH-TY01 harness is what pulls this all together. It allows you to utilize the factory wiring and connectors at the JBL amp location. You simply wire your new amp into this harness to power the speakers you want, and leave the speakers you don’t want to mess with powered by the JBL amp.

either way, the radio stays hooked up how it is, and you just add in the RCA cables from the radio to the new amp (and possibly a remote turn-on wire)

 

Sounds like the right stuff. I can dig the 6 RCA run. Time saver.

And this harness, with the amp, factor amp and RCAs from radio to amp will allow full range to all 4 door speakers and crossover to the tweeter?

 

Yeah the 6ch RCA’s are super handy. Not too many brands make them though. I’ve used the NVX ones a few times

It will send full range if you don’t turn on crossovers in the radio settings, and the JBL amp has internal crossovers for the factory tweeters if they’re still installed and connected

 

Awesome. That’s exactly what I want to have happen. Just to be able to control all audio settings at the head unit. It’s got all x’over and needed settings.

Thank you sir! Now I just need it to warm up here in Colorado again so I can get the train rollin!

 

The head unit will need to stay full range (no crossovers) as long as the JBL amp is running tweeters AND sub.

your 4ch amp will have crossover settings as well so you can take some of the bass out of your door speakers

 

Ah. I see what your saying. How would I get the tweeters to separate? Really would just like the sub into the factory amp. There was a crossover harness that came with the new tweeters as well.

 

All of this.

However OP, I would recommend an independent standalone amp for the subwoofer by itself otherwise audio quality will suffer for both the subwoofer and the speakers themselves and you will notice how much their output and overall sound quality will suffer until you isolate them independently of each other.

I bought a box that allows me to run both amps relatively well behind the seat without interference, if you run a compact amp for the speakers they are relatively robust and they can typically fit on the side of the sub box while the front surface can stay open for the a larger main sub amp. This is just one possible way you can run things.

Luckily your head unit is already upgraded OP so switching out will be very simple at this point.

As you have noticed, the OE JBL stuff blows. Literally. Lol.

 

Oh you replaced the tweeters? That’s good. You have a 2nd gen and your tweeter is in the door right?
You would wire your tweeter and door woofer together and use the included crossover. This would power the woofer and tweeter from the same amp channel as intended.

the problem comes with the subwoofer staying hooked up.

the JBL amp gets its audio from the FRONT speakers (which are typically set to full range) and it’s internal crossovers send highs to the tweeters, mids to the door woofers, and bass to the sub.

so you have to keep sending bass frequencies through the front channels on the radio so the JBL amp can pull those signals out to send to the sub. Make sense?
You would simply utilize the crossovers on your amplifier to cut the bass out of the front and rear speakers.
Once you decide you want to ditch the JBL components completely and upgrade your sub, this will no longer be an issue and you can set crossovers and all that in the radio itself.

 

Sure did!
Here’s the full set up I have on my second gen.

3 way front door speakers
2 way speakers rear doors
Small tweeters at the front door.
Factor amp and sub

So trying to get full range to the doors and just high to the tweeters.

That original JBL system just complicates everything from a-z! Next time I’ll just find a truck with no audio at all and do it myself hahaha

So just eliminate the tweeters to the amp and just wire the 6x9 to the tweeter with the included crossover?

 

You can leave the new tweeters wired to the JBL amp if you want. Just use the included crossover fit sure.
I was assuming you had components up front. And not coaxials

 

Or wire the new tweeters in with the 6x9’s (again, using the included passive crossovers)

you can send them full-range and the passive crossover will filter it to just highs

 

Sweet! Really appreciate you help on this. Would’ve probably never found that harness...

That actually makes the most sense. We tried doing that with just the factory amp before the crossover and it just bled. Horrible sound.

Now just need to hunt down the right amp for it all and should be good to go. Fishing wire will be the fun part

 

Man, my JBL system in my 2015 kicks ass. Better than my dual sub fully amplified JL Audio system

 

That’s the perk of the harness though. No fishing wire. (Unless you mean just the RCA’s)

 

Ya exactly haha just the RCAs. So much simpler. Definitely appreciate the education!

 

Hey man I’m currently running the original 2008 radio without Bluetooth or Aux. I’m using JBL Clubs all around with a Bluetooth kit wired to the back of my radio using the external CD player plug I believe it’s called. What do I need to install an amp and sub? I’ll post pics later but one of my cousins is giving me a JL Audio amp and 10” sub for free

 

Do you have the JBL or non-JBL system

 

Non JBL

 

sub'd